The University’s Research Park is seeking approval for a rezoning plan from the City of Champaign Planning and Development Department to support future industrial development.
The Research Park wants to reconfigure the industrial zoning of two parcels of their property, in the area south of Hazelwood Drive and north of Gerty Drive, surrounding Fourth Street.
Eric Van Buskirk, senior planner at the City of Champaign Planning and Development Department, spoke on the intended expansion of businesses following the rezoning.
“The Research Park group is wanting to do the rezoning … to facilitate moving startup businesses that are currently in the incubator space,” Van Buskirk said.
Various corporations are located in the Research Park alongside EnterpriseWorks, a startup incubator.
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As the third-largest employer in Champaign County, the Research Park has over 800 of its 2,000 employees who are student interns. The business incubator there supports community businesses in the early stages and prioritizes strengthening student startups.
Laura Weisskopf Bleill, director of external engagement at the Research Park, further explained the future of the startups.
“Many of them are leveraging specialized research facilities or other assets of the University,” Bleill said, referring to the EnterpriseWorks startup. “They are looking to grow where they started, and this will feed those opportunities for growth in the future.”
Staff at the Research Park submitted an application in June that is under review. Currently, the area is zoned for commercial use and is mostly used for office space.
However, it would be designated for light industrial use if the application is approved. The change would make manufacturing less disruptive and more consumer-driven than heavy industrial zoning.
Though parties interested in developing projects, such as a proposed data center, frequently approach the Research Park, there is no specific project intended for the land. In contrast, the team is pursuing rezoning to be best prepared for future business interests, Bleill said.
“Being prepared and being ready to have the right type of development for our future is important to respond to both business attraction … as well as helping our own community, entrepreneurs and tech companies grow in the Research Park,” Bleill said.
The county’s planning commission will review the application and make a recommendation to the city council on Nov. 20, according to Van Buskirk. Bleill is hopeful that the rezoning will prepare the Research Park for industrial and technological development in the future.
“This is a way for us to continue to evolve with the needs of technology,” Bleill said.
